


‘Cause You Had A Bad Day

by noxsoulmate



Category: Supernatural
Genre: (not between dean and cas), Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Sexual Assault, Blood and Injury, Cas has a cat, Castiel Big Bang 2017, Cheating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Just Add Kittens, M/M, Police Officer Benny, Police Officer Dean, Psycho Lucifer, Secretary Castiel, Veterinarian Sam, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 17:48:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10702002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxsoulmate/pseuds/noxsoulmate
Summary: They say bad things happen in threes. That must be a lie because Castiel Novak is having the worst day of his life. Three bad things have already happened, but now – to top it all off – the police are pulling him over. Maybe he shouldn’t have been driving while crying his eyes out. But then again, losing his license would probably be the least of his problems today.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And Castiel Big Bang number three :D
> 
> Thank you so much [sternchencas](http://sternchencas.tumblr.com/), my wonderful artist for this fic ^_^ I can't even tell you how much I love these pictures, your [art](http://sternchencas.tumblr.com/post/159871617566/art-masterpost-for-the-my-castiel-big-bang-2017) is amazing!!
> 
> For a change, this fic isn't based on any prompt, it's solely from my own mind (oh god, hope that's a good thing ^^") - so without further ado: have fun :D

** **

 

** Chapter One **

 

Castiel couldn’t stop crying. He tried, he really, seriously did, but the tears just wouldn’t stop, leaving hot trails on his cheeks and tickling his chin where they pooled before dropping. As carefully as he could, he turned into the dirt road off the main street and cut off the engine. The police car behind him did the same and through his tear filled eyes, he could see two officers sitting in the car. They talked for just a second longer before the one on the passenger side got out. Castiel knew he should do something – get his papers ready, his driver’s license out of his wallet, damn, even just putting the window down – but right now he couldn’t think of any of these basic steps. Shaking slightly, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. He needed to stop crying.

The knock on his window, even though logically to be expected, made him jump. He quickly wiped at his eyes and down his face. It was in vain, he knew; but it was a reflex, nothing else. Pushing the button to open the window, nothing happened and shaking his head to clear it, he fumbled with his keys to start the engine just enough to get all the electronics in the car started again. Once the window was far enough down, he shut off the engine again.

 

 

“Morning, Sir,” a deep voice said. “Do you know why we pulled you over?”

“Was … was I speeding?” Castiel replied, his voice barely in check. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry if I did, I tried … I –”

“No, Sir, not at all,” the deep voice interrupted him. “Quite on the contrary.”

For the first time, Castiel turned his head, looking at the officer outside his window. At the far back of his mind, the part for rational thoughts, he took note that the man seemed to be about his age and was most definitely easy on the eye. However, hitting on a cop was far off his list of things he wished to do at this moment. He also noticed how the cop’s gaze softened slightly when Castiel turned towards him, most likely because of the mess his face must have been, tears still running and eyes certainly red-rimmed, cheeks blotchy.

“Sir, are you alright?”

There was only one right answer to this, of course. Technically, he shouldn’t be driving in his condition, so obviously he should assure the cop he was fine and was mentally able to drive. Instead, the question just broke him.

Sobs ripped out of him, tears falling anew. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he pushed out a “No,” through all the sobbing. God, how had his life turned upside down in just under three hours? Mushu being attacked by a dog, maybe dying. His asshole of a boss firing him because of twelve damn minutes. And then Luc, that cheating bastard … this was all too much. And now this. He just wanted to go home and never get out of bed again.

“Sir, would you please step out of your car.”

Castiel wasn’t sure if this was the first time the cop had asked him that. He wasn’t even sure how long he’d been crying in front of him. Not questioning as to why he should step out, he just followed the order. His feet felt wobbly and damn, yes, he shouldn’t have been driving. As it was, he was in no condition to do it safely, what had he been thinking? The answer was he hadn’t been. He’d just needed to get away from his boyfriend’s place, had needed to run away from that picture, the picture of this other guy in the queen size bed …

Strong arms folded around him and his head landed on a firm shoulder, warmth and a soothing scent enfolding him. For just a second, all of Castiel’s thoughts came to a halt, before finally, fully crashing down on him. Whatever last hold he’d had on his emotions broke completely. Clinging to the man whose name he didn’t even know, Castiel cried and let it all out.

It took him quite a while before he realized that a hand was slowly rubbing up and down his back, spreading warmth through his body. And even longer until the soft murmurs and words reached his ear. It was mostly just comforting noises, mingled with some, “It’ll be okay,” and, “Mushu’ll be fine,” and, _oh_. How did the guy knew his cat’s name? Seemed like he’d babbled it all out instead of just replaying the pictures in his head.

Well, that was embarrassing.

On the other hand, probably no more embarrassing than crying in a stranger’s arms.

Castiel had lost all concept of time, only realizing he was calming down when he felt his heartbeat slowing until it was in sync with the heart he was pressed against; not yet feeling comfortable enough to pull back, but already conscious enough again to grasp the gravity of the situation.

He was enveloped in a stranger’s arms.

A stranger that was a police officer.

A police officer that was a guy.

And he was crying like no one’s business.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright. We all need a hug sometimes.”

Huffing out a chuckle, Castiel finally pulled away. The loss of warmth made him shiver, but at least his tears seemed to finally have run dry.

“I’m Officer Dean Winchester. What’s your name?”

“Castiel Novak. And I really am sorry if I was speeding.”

“You weren’t, as I said,” Officer Winchester replied. “You were going so slow my partner and I wanted to check if … everything was okay.”

The slight pause sounded suspicious, but quite frankly, Castiel was too emotionally drained to care what the real reason was. He was just glad they’d stopped him before anything had happened.

“You know you shouldn’t be driving when … your mind is … not in the game, right?”

A smile tugged at Castiel’s lips. The way the officer tried to word everything so carefully was endearing. But yes, of course he was right.

“I’m sorry. I admit I wasn’t thinking. I just … I just needed to get away from …” Godamnit, he’d thought his eyes had run dry. The fresh tears that threatened to spill over told a different story.

The warm hand that landed on his shoulder grounded him slightly and when he looked back up, warm green eyes helped him focus. “Where do you live?”

It was another fifteen minutes to Castiel’s place and he could really kick himself for ever being so dumb. God, what if he’d hurt someone while driving with his mind unfocused?

“That’s not too far,” Officer Winchester concluded. “But you’re in no fit state to drive. Do you have anyone to pick you up?”

Wasn’t it just sad that Castiel had to shake his head at this? Sure, he had friends in town, but unlike him, they all still had a job and he wasn’t close enough to any that he would ask them to leave work for him.

“Okay, wait here a second.”

The warm hand left his shoulder. While Officer Winchester made his way back to the patrol car, Castiel slowly leaned back against the side of his car, closing his eyes. A serious headache was starting to pound against his forehead and right eye.

“Alright,” the deep voice startled him as the cop got back. “Get in. I’ll drive you home.”

“Ehm, what?”

Officer Winchester’s melodic chuckle was somewhat soothing for Castiel. “Just talked to my partner and it’s decided. Jump in.”

Drained and simply too done to argue, Castiel did as he was told. As he got in on the passenger side of his own car, Officer Winchester was already adjusting the seat and mirror and then started the engine. He backed out of the dirt road, his partner in the patrol car waiting for them back on the main road.

The first few minutes of their drive were quiet. Castiel could feel the officer glance at him out of the corner of his eyes now and then. Yet, it was Castiel himself that broke the silence.

“You won’t get in trouble for this, right?”

“What? Not giving you a ticket for driving while not fully there?”

“No,” Castiel replied, looking at the man next to him. “Driving me home. What if you and your partner are needed right now?”

“Well, we _are_ needed right now, aren’t we?” the officer asked, giving him a smile that had another grin tugging at Castiel’s lips.

“Thank you then, I guess.”

There was another stretch of silence before the cop broke it this time. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“How much did you get out of my babbling earlier?”

Another glance, probably to see how emotionally stable Castiel was right now. To his surprise, he felt a lot calmer after letting it all out.

“Uhm, just enough to know you had a really bad day?”

A dark laugh came out of Castiel without him being able to control it. “Well, that’s an understatement.” Resting his head against the cool window of the passenger door, Castiel tried to retell it all without tearing up once more. “My cat, his name is Mushu, is an outdoor cat, but usually just in my backyard. This morning when I got the mail, I wasn’t careful enough and he slipped out. We have a dog down the street that is quite aggressive and of course they just happened to walk him past my house this morning. I don’t know what or how exactly it happened, but the next thing I knew was the woman screaming at me to get my cat away from her dog. But …” _Damn, no more crying_. “The dog had him …” Instead of saying it, Castiel moved his hand to his own throat, showing what had happened. He felt fresh tears well as he saw in his mind’s eye poor Mushu being shaken like a ragdoll. “I don’t know how I got the dog to stop, but all the time the woman was screaming at me, telling me it was my fault for letting my cat out.”

“It’s not,” the officer interrupted, looking over. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. But if you wanna press charges, just say it.”

“I might,” Castiel whispered, unsure and not in the right headspace to think about it. Instead, he continued. “When we got to the vet, Mushu was seen to right away.” Castiel remembered speaking to the young and very tall vet. He couldn’t remember his name, although it felt like it was just at the tip of his tongue. “They are doing all they can, but he is still in intensive care and in a very critical condition. The vet said I can’t do anything for him right now. I couldn’t call in sick however much I wanted to, because for weeks now, my boss has been searching for any and every excuse to fire me. Well,” Castiel added bitterly. “Seems like he got what he wanted after all. I swear, I was only twelve minutes late, but it was all the ammunition he needed after weeks of harassing me, trying to get me to quit …” Castiel shook his head slowly, anger rising inside of him. “Only good thing is that I hated the job anyway.” He hadn’t been in that awful office for long, but it felt like 40 years in hell. Maybe it was for the best. Only his wallet wouldn’t think so until he found something new. “So, already panicked about Mushu and now without any secure income, I thought I would pay my boyfriend a visit, tell him what had happened, get some sympathy …” Castiel tried, but he absolutely couldn’t retell that story. It hurt so much to even think about it. He’d been cheated on and most likely not only once. Not only as a slip-up. No, his boyfriend seemed completely comfortable with his … the other guy as well.

“Well, ex-boyfriend now.”

“No second chances?”

There was a certain way to how Officer Winchester asked his question, yet Castiel didn’t know what to make of it. He shook his head. “No. This wasn’t just a random thing. And even if it was … cheating is cheating.”

They were both quiet after that. But they didn’t have to wait long before Winchester turned onto his street.

“That one there,” Castiel pointed. “The one with the blue door.”

“Alright, Hugh Grant.”

Castiel noticed Officer Winchester’s ears turn bright red. After everything the man had done for him, the least Castiel could do was not to comment on that slip of tongue, just huffing an uncontrolled chuckle. Once the car was parked in his driveway, he got out and walked around to where the officer was getting out as well.

“You okay now?” The man asked, his voice still full of concern.

Just like before, Castiel had no other choice but to be honest with the man. “No. But I’ll survive. Thank you so much for your help.”

“You’re very welcome,” Officer Winchester answered, handing over the keys. “And if you decide on pressing charges against that dog lady, don’t hesitate to report to the police station. Ehm … you can ask for me. After all, I know all the details now …”

The way the man’s ears only got redder was quite endearing. However, Castiel was tired and emotionally drained and all he wanted to do was to get inside. Instead of engaging the officer in further conversation, he only nodded. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

A horn honked, making them both jump.

“I should go. I wish you all the best with … everything. Mushu, mostly, but yeah, the rest as well, and … yeah. Bye.”

“Goodbye, Officer Winchester.”

Castiel watched as the man that most likely counted as his hero of the day made his way back to his waiting partner. He was still standing in the driveway when the patrol car left their street, only slowly coming back to reality and wondering what else this awful day had in store for him.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Dean let himself fall in the passenger seat of the patrol car and let out a heavy breath. Jesus, what had he been thinking, just giving someone a ride home while he was on duty? But the poor guy had looked so miserable. And Dean was eighty percent sure he hadn’t even realized he’d spilled his guts about his shitty day while crying his eyes out. What should Dean have done? Okay, so he knew what the _rules_ stated he should have done – making sure the guy didn’t continue driving, maybe call a cab or someone that could help him – but seriously. It wasn’t as if the guy needed even more trouble after what he’d been through.

After a long moment, Dean realized that they weren’t moving, so he looked over towards his partner. All he found was Benny smirking at him.

“What?” Maybe he should’ve tried to sound less defensive. Because all that did was to make Benny smirk even wider. “Oh, shut up. You’d done the same if you’d’a heard the whole story.”

“Sure, whatever you say, brotha,” Benny replied in a kind of sing-song-voice, as much as that was possible with his deep rumbling voice and Southern accent. At least he finally started the car and got them back on patrol.

But Dean should have been more suspicious. After all, Benny was a pain in the ass when it came to things like this. It only took until they were out of the neighborhood and back on the main road. “So, I take it he was sexy enough to be worth the risk of getting a warning?”

Groaning, Dean let his head fall against the headrest of his seat, ignoring the deep chuckling and ribbing from his partner. This was going to be a long patrol.

 

~*~*~*~

 

It was already somewhere in the early afternoon when Castiel was finally able to calm down. He called the vet to check on any updates on Mushu, but his fluffball was still under observation. Knowing he couldn’t do anything to change that situation and with no desire to think about Luc right now, he took care of his third problem: jobs.

Thankfully, he still had enough vacation time from his former job, which forced the douchebag of a boss to pay him for another four weeks. That left him a bit of time to search for something new.

Spending the rest of the afternoon searching for any possible jobs that were even remotely close to what he would be capable of doing, Castiel was able to send out the first applications. He could only hope he would find something. And soon.

That night, all he managed was a fitful sleep, missing Mushu’s soft purring a great deal more than Luc’s light snoring.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Dean strode into his brother’s office, winking at the cute receptionist. As always, the girl blushed and looked away. Chuckling to himself, Dean approached her. However, before he could even start to flirt, one of the exam rooms opened and a dog scrambled out, pulling their owner after them with all their strength. The owner was followed by a tall man with way too much hair, giving him a few more pointers on whatever was wrong with his furry friend. Once he’d said goodbye, the vet came over to the reception to check for the next file, only to find his brother waiting for him.

“Dean, what are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, Sammy.”

His brother didn’t even try to hide his annoyed sigh while he checked over the next patient’s file. They both knew how busy it was right now for Sam while one of his partners was on maternity leave and the second one was in the hospital after an accident. He only occasionally got help from a companioned vet office on the other side of town. Other than that, he had to handle all the workload alone or even send clients away. A fact he hated more than working overtime.

“Would you just spill why you’re here? The waiting room is bursting.”

In lieu of an answer, Dean held up a bag from Panera Bread and instantly, he could see Sam relax and a grateful smile spreading over his brother’s face. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“I know. Eileen called. She’s too busy running from one meeting to another, so I took over the ‘feed the giant’ duty.” Handing the bag over, he dropped the mocking tone. It was replaced by real concern. “Sam, you really need to take more care –”

“I know, Dean, I know. But Kevin will be back soon and even Amelia’s maternity leave isn’t much longer. Besides, Meg’s here today to help out.”

Dean couldn’t say he was the biggest fan of the sarcastic, mouthy vet, but if she could take a bit of the burden from Sam’s shoulders, he wouldn’t complain. As if summoned by her name – and it was a possibility, because Dean was still convinced she might be a demon in disguise – the door to another exam room opened and the petite doctor with dark curly hair stepped out. Over her shoulder, she was talking to the owner of her own patient, who stepped out of the room right after her.

Dean’s mouth nearly dropped to the floor.

 

 

It was none other than “Bad Day”-guy, as Benny so eloquently had named him.

Castiel Novak was hugging a red tabby against his chest, listening intently to what the doctor had to say. There was a thick, white bandage around the cat’s middle and neck and one of the front paws was wrapped as well. Even while hugging him close, Dean could tell that Castiel was making damn sure not to hurt his cat.

A snap in front of his eyes made Dean jump. Sam was looking at him with a funny expression, but the good thing about his brother’s packed schedule was the fact that he didn’t have time to call Dean out on his weird behavior. Instead, he thanked him again for lunch before hurrying off to the next sick pet. By then, Castiel and Meg had made their way over to the reception. They shook hands and with only a wink and a smirk in Dean’s direction, Meg took the next file and hurried off as well. Sonofabitch, these two really had a busy schedule if Meg didn’t even have time or energy to give him a snarky greeting. Not that Dean would complain.

It took him a second to realize that he was now in his brother’s vet office without any reason to be here, stupidly standing around like some sort of decoration. He should have left the moment his brother had. Or at least once Meg had done so. Instead, he was standing at the reception, looking at the man he had let cry against his shoulder just two days ago. The man he had absolutely not thought about ever since. Not at all. Because that would’ve been downright stupid.

Castiel finished up making a new appointment and turned to leave – only to do a double take once he spotted Dean.

“Oh, hello.”

“Hey,” Dean replied and waved.

Jesus, what was wrong with him? He had just waved at a guy standing not even an arm’s length away from him. No wonder what followed was a kind of awkward silence, until Dean cleared his throat, pointing at the cat. “So. I take it Mushu is doing better?”

_No, you fucking idiot. Mushu died and the guy had bought a new cat not even 48 hours later. Of course Mushu is doing better. Get it together, man._

While Dean berated himself for losing his cool in front of this guy, Castiel merely smiled and directed a loving gaze at his cat. “Yes. I was allowed to pick him up yesterday. Today we had his first check-up, and he’s doing alright.”

“That’s good to hear. Ever thought about pressing charges?” Thank God, his normal voice and confidence were back.

The man’s blue eyes met his. “I’m … actually not sure. With everything else going on … Well, I was just glad he made it out alive.”

As if needing the reassurance, he hugged the tabby just a bit closer. Then he looked back at Dean. “So, what kind of pet do you have?”

“Huh?” _Great, back to ineloquent._

“Your pet? I mean, we’re at a vet …”

“Oh, right. Yeah, no. No, I don’t have a pet,” Dean replied, almost stumbling over his words. He cleared his throat, forcing himself to finally calm down. “Just dropping off some lunch for my brother.”

He could see the moment Castiel connected the two names because his eyes went wide and his ears turned a bit red. “Winchester, of course,” was all he mumbled.

Mushu chose that moment to struggle and to prevent him from falling to the floor, Castiel had to carefully readjust his grip on him, pulling him close to his chest again. As he whispered to his friend, Dean’s eyes fell on the wrist that was now exposed and his eyes widened. “What the hell happened there?”

Looking first at Dean and then following his line of sight, Castiel must have noticed what had drawn the cop’s attention, as he hastily tried to cover it without losing hold on his cat. “Ehm, nothing.”

“Dude, that’s not nothing.” Dean had been working as a police officer for far too long to not recognize bruises inflicted by another person when he saw them. He looked back at Castiel’s face and noticed how uncomfortable the man had gotten. No wonder. They were still standing in the middle of a vet office full of nameless people, Dean himself still a stranger to Castiel. And why did Dean even already refer to the guy on a first name base in his head?

Determined, Dean waved goodbye to the receptionist and turned around. Holding open the door, he waited for Castiel – _Mr. Novak!_ – to take the invitation and follow him. Hesitating for a moment, the man did just that.

Once they were outside on the sidewalk, Dean stopped but didn’t push the guy.

“It’s nothing, really,” Mr. Novak finally blurred out. “I was just being stupid, is all.”

Dean didn’t reply right away. He knew there was more to the story, but he couldn’t exactly force the man to open up to him. At least, he was able to get back into his work-headspace, which helped him to act normal around the guy. He was a trained cop and things like this were what he was good at. Mr. Novak still wouldn’t look at him or give him any explanation, but he also didn’t leave. Dean took it as a good sign.

“Mr. Novak,” (and kudos to him for being a professional and not call him _Castiel_ ) “you obviously don’t have to tell me. I’m not even on duty right now.” Which wasn’t exactly true; as a cop, one was always on duty to some degree. “I would just like to know you’re alright.”

Pulling Mushu a bit closer for a moment, most likely seeking the comfort of his cat, Mr. Novak looked back at him. “I’m okay, really. It was just … well, I tried …” Sighing deeply, the man took a second, looking everywhere but Dean, before finally explaining. “I went to my ex’s place this morning to drop off his stuff and to get my own things. But he wouldn’t let me in unless I agreed to talk to him about what had happened. I have zero desire to do so. I don’t care when or for how long or even why – he cheated on me, end of story.”

Dean nodded at that. He remembered Mr. Novak telling him that on the car ride and he could absolutely understand the man’s decision.

“I told Luc as much, but he still wouldn’t let me in. So, I tried to leave and … he grabbed me, told me I had to give him a second chance; that I couldn’t just leave him like that.” Tears started to form in the guy’s eyes. “I’ve never been scared of him until that moment. I was able to rip my wrist out of his grip and leave. But now …”

Dean took a moment to take in all of this information.

“So, he still has your stuff?”

Mr. Novak only nodded in reply and damn, what was it about this guy that Dean constantly thought about how best to help him?

“You need someone to help you pick it up?”

He could read disbelief in the man’s eyes, but also hope. “You mean …?”

Dean only shrugged. Hell, he’d already broken a work rule for this man. Obviously, he could help him out with this as well. “Sure. I mean, why not?”

“I … I couldn’t ask you to do this.”

“Yeah, well. You’re not asking,” Dean gave back with a soft smile. “I’m offering.”

There were a few moments of silence between them while the man looked at him as if he was trying to find answers to all his questions in Dean’s eyes. Whatever he had found in them, he finally nodded. “Okay.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Castiel couldn’t believe this was happening. Actually, he couldn’t believe anything that had happened over the last two days. It was surreal – like someone else’s life.

He’d always loved order, continuity, and routine. His job as an accountant might have been boring, but at least it had given him a routine and stability. As had his cat and even his relationship with Luc. They had set times when they would call and meet; which, yeah, now that he thought about had probably been ideal for Luc to cheat on him during all the times that Castiel was occupied elsewhere. Yet, Castiel wasn’t delusional enough to think it was his fault or his preference for routine. After all: if someone wanted to cheat, they always found a way.

Suddenly, everything had turned upside down within such a short time frame. At least Mushu was alright again. And he had sent out a thick stack of applications, hoping to hear back from at least one of the companies sometime soon. The incident at Luc’s this morning had shaken him up, he wouldn’t lie about that. Now this nice officer had offered to once again play his personal hero. To come with him to get his things. He had no idea why, but looking at Dean Winchester – and he still couldn’t believe he hadn’t been able to make the connection to his vet’s name sooner – he was sure that the man was simply the type of human being that lived to help people. He was a cop, after all. And if he was even remotely as kind as Sam Winchester, Castiel wasn’t surprised at all that he was such a Samaritan.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Castiel had agreed, which led to the current situation of him being back in front of his ex’s apartment, Dean Winchester by his side. They were each holding a basket that Officer Winchester had in the back of his car for spontaneous shopping trips, as well as three plastic bags from Castiel’s own trunk. He had used the drive over from the vets mentally going through the apartment of his boyfriend of almost two years and trying to remember what he’d left there. He just hoped the containers would be enough because the last thing Castiel wanted was to have to come back again.

“You sure it’s okay for me to use his key? This won’t be trespassing?” Castiel hadn’t been sure this morning, so instead of just walking in (and possibly finding his ex once more in bed with another), he’d knocked. Now, however, he had a cop by his side.

Officer Winchester gave him an encouraging nod. “He gave you the key willingly and you’re only here to pick up your own stuff, not to steal or break anything. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Castiel breathed out. He took two more deep breaths before unlocking the door. The key turned twice, a clear sign that Luc wasn’t home. Sighing in relief, he pushed the door open and stepped insight, followed by the officer. The man let out a low whistle, obviously taking in the size of the apartment.

“Wow, what does your ex do for a living? Sell drugs?”

A nervous chuckle left Castiel, but he could feel how some of his tension left him just knowing Officer Winchester was by his side and he wasn’t here alone. “Close.” When the cop’s eyes snapped back towards him, he laughed for real, hurrying to explain before the man would call for reinforcement and put Luc in jail. Not that Castiel was really opposed to that idea at the moment. “He’s a programmer and specialized in game apps for smartphones. Seeing how everybody plays them, I’d say it’s as good as selling drugs.”

That got a huffed laugh out of the cop and to Castiel’s surprise, all he could do was smile in return. Until he remembered why he was here. Sobering, he looked around, lost as to where he should start. He knew he didn’t have that much time. Luc’s office was here in his apartment; most likely his ex was just out for some grocery shopping. At least he hoped the guy wasn’t that big an asshole to be out in the middle of the day to get his next hookup.

A soft hand landed on his shoulder and only when he stopped did he realize he’d been shaking slightly. Looking into the green eyes of his personal hero, he felt himself calm down. He didn’t even question his reaction to the man that sent him a warm smile. “I can’t help you much, obviously. But why don’t you start here in the living room and then work your way from room to room?”

Good, yes, a plan, very good. Exactly what Castiel needed right now. Inhaling slowly, he nodded once, sending the man a grateful, yet tight smile that didn’t quite reached his eyes. The hand left his shoulder and he finally got to work.

After a few minutes, they decided that Castiel would just put all the stuff in a pile and Officer Winchester would use his time to neatly sort it all into the baskets. That saved Castiel some precious seconds, even though he felt a tad weird to have the man do the work for him. But he had offered and Castiel really had more problems to think about right now. One being the constant fear of another confrontation with Luc.

Castiel couldn’t believe how much of his stuff had found its way to Luc’s apartment in just a little over twenty-one months. Some books, a few DVDs, his favorite blanket. A notebook and even a jigsaw puzzle he’d wanted to complete with Luc but never found the time for. In the bathroom were the usual supplies, although Castiel left most of it behind. Who knew if Luc hadn’t let his hookups use those things. The thought made him shudder.

He knew for a fact that there had hardly been any stuff of Luc’s at his house; one small box he’d bought apples in at the last farmer’s market had been enough to carry it all over. His ex didn’t like cats so he had hardly ever bothered to make the trip to Castiel’s house. It had mostly been Castiel coming over to Luc’s. In fact, it had always been him to put more into this relationship than Luc; him that had given in when Luc wanted something; him that had made a real effort for this relationship to work. The monotonous task of going through the dresser drawer by drawer gave Castiel enough time to really think about their situation and it suddenly really hit him. How one-sided this whole relationship had been. And it had been Luc who had set all the rules for them, never even asking what Castiel wanted. Even their times to meet had been decided on by him and while Castiel loved routines, come to think of it now, he would have liked to spend more time with his boyfriend than three lunch dates during the week and the weekends together at the apartment.

There were many other things, little ones Castiel only now realized, but he refused to think about them while he packed his underwear. Thankfully, the bedroom was the last room.

He was almost done when he heard it.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Freezing, Castiel listened for just a moment before grabbing the last shirt and stuffing it into the bag. He’d already double checked everything, knowing he would hate to realize someday he was missing his favorite shirt or even just a pair of boxer shorts. He’d thrown it all down on the carpet, ignoring the damn bed, so now that every item of clothing was gone from the floor and stuffed into the two bags, he could be sure he had everything. And just in time, it seemed.

“I’m Dean Winchester.” Castiel noticed Officer Winchester had left out the fact that he was an officer. Of course he did. He was off duty and Castiel had no idea how legal it was for him to even be here. Shit, would this get the man into trouble?

“And what the fuck are you doing in my apartment?”

“Helping a friend.”

This was probably the weirdest moment to smile, but hearing the cop calling him a friend had this insane effect on Castiel. It was stupid, because obviously Officer Winchester would call him that. What else was he supposed to say? _“I’m helping this weird dude I’ve only met for the second time today and he seems incapable of surviving on his own, so I felt the need to help him”_? Yeah, no, “friend” was easier.

There was a moment of silence, and then, “Castiel!”

It certainly wasn’t a question directed towards Winchester. No, it was a yell for Castiel to show himself. Remembering their confrontation this morning, a cold shiver ran down his spine. But Castiel refused to be intimidated by the cheating bastard. Besides, he wasn’t alone this time. Taking the two bags in one hand, he left the bedroom, heading straight for the open living room where Officer Winchester was waiting for him. Luc intercepted him just as he left the hallway.

“What the hell, Cassie?”

“Don’t call me that. You know how much I hate it.” He’d always despised the name and he couldn’t believe he’d let this man call him that for all these months. God, this had been such a one-sided relationship. How had he never noticed it?

Luc was red in his face, fuming. “And _you_ had no right to come in here.”

“Actually, he had,” Officer Winchester threw in, already stacking the two baskets, ready to pick them up so they could leave any second.

Turning towards the man behind him, Luc spat out, “You shut up, this is none of your business. Who even is this guy?” The last part was directed at Castiel.

“Didn’t he tell you? This is Dean –” it felt a bit weird using the man’s first name, but he couldn’t very well call him “Officer Winchester” when he was about to add, “he’s a friend of mine.”

“And how come I’ve never met this _friend_?”

“Well, maybe you would have,” Castiel spat back, furious now rather than intimidated, “if you hadn’t used all your free time to fuck around and cheat on me.”

Luc’s whole demeanor changed at once and Castiel knew just a few days back he would’ve fallen for Luc turning soft and giving him a loving gaze. But now it all felt so wrong. It was so forced, so fake that he couldn’t believe he’d ever been taken by the guy. Even his voice was all wrong. “Oh, Castiel. Please, Sweetheart. You know that’s not true. This thing the other day? It was a one-time slip up. Baby, you know that.” As he reached for him, Castiel flinched away and sidestepped him so as not to be cornered in the hallway any longer. This reaction broke Luc’s fake façade and the angry and quite frankly scary person Castiel had seen this morning was back.

“Really, Cassie? You’re not even giving me a second chance?”

Not dignifying him with an answer, Castiel went over to where Dean was waiting and picked up the third bag. Thankfully, all his belongings had fit into the two baskets and three plastic bags.

“Oh, oh I see,” Luc spat out in a mocking tone. “You already have a new guy, huh? Tell me, Cassie: how long have you been spreading your legs for him? Huh? How long have _you_ been cheating on _me_?”

Castiel froze, not able to comprehend he’d really heard that. It was Dean’s steady grip on his arm that helped him not to break down and cry or jump Luc and punch him or any other possible scenario in between. Dean glared over Castiel’s shoulder, directly at the other man. “You’re a pathetic excuse for a human being. And even more so if you think Castiel would stoop to your level and cheat.”

Amazingly, hearing his own first name out of Dean’s mouth soothed him further and combined with the warm presence, Castiel was able to stay calm. Without looking back, he let Dean steer him in the direction of the front door. The cop picked up the two baskets and followed Castiel, who had just enough brain power left to throw the spare key to Luc’s apartment on the little table right by the entrance before leaving his ex for good.

Or at least he thought so.

“This isn’t over Cassie. You’ll come back to me, we both know it.”

They could still hear him, even though Castiel had pulled the door shut after Dean. He wanted to lean against the wall to catch his breath, but the cop nudged him in the side carefully, telling him without words that it was best to get as much space between them and the psycho as possible.

The fresh air was a welcome relief, although Castiel still felt on edge. He’d never thought Luc would turn and say things like that to him. The man had never been a “boyfriend-of-the-year” type of guy, but they had been okay. At least Castiel had thought so.

He tried to open his car, but his hand was shaking and before he knew what was happening, Dean pulled him in his arms. The bags landed on the sidewalk as Castiel hugged back, clinging to this wonderful man once more, trying to calm himself. Taking a few steadying breaths, he slowly pulled back.

“I’m good, it’s okay. Thank you so much, Dean.” Realizing what he’d just said, he hurried to stumble out, “I mean, Officer Win –”

“Dean is fine,” the man in question interrupted, still holding on to Castiel’s arms as if to steady him. “I think after everything it’s only justified we’re on a first name basis.”

Castiel had no idea how this man did it, but he had him smiling again. It was only a soft huff and a barely there smile, but it was much more than Castiel would have thought possible so soon after what had just happened upstairs.

“Alright, if you say so.” Taking one more calming breath, Castiel looked back up in Dean’s eyes. “Thank you for all this, Dean. I really, truly appreciate it.”

“It’s okay, Castiel.”

Able to control his hands at last, Castiel pulled out his keys and opened the trunk. They put all his stuff in and he closed the tailgate carefully so he wouldn’t jostle the car too much. Mushu was lying in his carrier on the front seat, hopefully resting and not pacing around.

Just like that, they had reached the moment of saying goodbye again. Strangely enough, it left a hollow feeling in Castiel’s guts.

“So …”

“Well then …”

Apparently, Dean was just as clueless about how to proceed as he was. Acting purely on instinct, Castiel finally blurted out, “So, you’re off duty today?”

_Yeah, smart question, assbutt. No, of course he’s just running around in jeans and flannel, helping idiots getting their stuff back, all while still on duty._

“Ehm, yeah. It’s my free day. Why?”

He’d been wrapped in this man’s arms twice already, crying his eyes out, and telling him the sad story of his life. There was no way Castiel could embarrass himself any further, so to hell with it.

“I was planning on trying this new pizza place that opened down my street. I mean, the least I can do to repay you is inviting you to an extra-large meat lovers, right?”

_Oh, smooth, very good. Nice save there, Castiel._

Dean, however, hesitated and Castiel deflated within nanoseconds. The guy was probably uncomfortable with an openly gay guy inviting him to an early dinner. Oh no, did it look like he’d wanted a date with him? He didn’t. Well, not right now. _Wait, what?_

“What about Mushu? You think it’s good for him to be alone for so long?”

_Again: what?_

“Ehm …”

“I mean,” Dean was quick to amend. “I would really like to join you. I was just worried about your cat. Wouldn’t it be better for him to be home?”

Dean was … worried about Mushu? That was … that was probably the sweetest thing ever. Most likely, it was also what made Castiel speak before he’d really thought about it. “Well, yes. Would you like to join me there?”

He could literally _feel_ his ears getting warm and burning with embarrassment. _Damn it!_

“I mean … I mean we could get takeout at the pizza place and … ehm … don’t know. Maybe watch a movie together?”

God, what was wrong with him? Did he seriously invite a guy to his home he’d only just met?

“That depends. Do you have any good movies?”

“I have Netflix.”

“Then I’m in.”

Had the guy he’d only just met seriously just taken the invitation?

Grinning, Castiel huffed out a small laugh. So much for being a guy that loved continuity and routine.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter Two **

 

It wasn’t long before Castiel found a new routine and was back to order and a steady life.

His applications had led to some job interviews, yet nothing had worked out. However, Mushu’s injuries had him at the vet constantly. That and his newfound friendship with the vet’s brother had resulted in him being privy to the problem Sam Winchester found himself in: paperwork. Being a trained accountant, it had been no problem at all for Castiel to spend a few hours at the vet’s office to help Sam sort through all the bills and invoices and order lists and other administrative tasks. At first, they did it together, but after a few days, Sam trusted him enough to let Castiel handle it.

A few weeks in, the receptionist decided spontaneously to quit because she wanted to move to Paris. It was the final straw on top of all the stress the vet was already living with and Sam nearly collapsed. He’d almost kissed Castiel when he’d offered his help. Castiel might not have a medical education, but he could handle a phone and an appointment book and a few stacks of files. Besides that he loved animals and was a natural with them and that was all a receptionist needed to be. Sam hadn’t hesitated for even a second to hire him. Soon, Castiel had made himself indispensable and he couldn’t believe how much he loved this new job. It got even better once Dr. Kevin Tran got out of the hospital and then Dr. Amelia Richardson came back after her maternity leave. The atmosphere in the veterinarian office returned to a more relaxed pace and Castiel was even allowed to keep Mushu in the back office. He introduced a new system for all of the paperwork and soon the three doctors let him reign over the office as he wanted to, happy to trust Castiel with all the things that they’d never liked to handle anyway.

Besides having a better job now, evenings with Dean also became part of Castiel’s routine. Only, it wasn’t as set as his life with Luc had been, Dean’s work as a cop not making that possible. Yet, in some way, the irregular schedule Dean worked had a comforting routine in itself. Castiel knew that didn’t make sense in the slightest, but for him, it somehow did. One evening during the week was reserved for movie night, another for game night, and a third was reserved for a night out at the Roadhouse, a bar the police officers liked to visit. The days switched, but they always took place.

They also sometimes met for lunch if Dean was on duty. If he was off duty, he would stop by the vet’s office and bring them all something to eat. If for whatever reason they wouldn’t meet at all during the day, they still texted or even sometimes called – all without set times.

The nice routine in all of this wasn’t so much that they had set days or times, more like set rituals. It was in the fact that Castiel knew they would hear from each other no matter what. Castiel hadn’t known how much more exciting a life like this could be until he had met and befriended Dean Winchester.

 

~*~

 

“Any plans for tonight?” Sam asked while he locked the door behind him. It was getting dark outside, the warm summer slowly but steadily turning over into a colder fall. Kevin and Amelia had already left, leaving only Castiel and Sam to lock up. The two men had become close friends, although not as close as Castiel was with Dean.

“Nah, not really,” he replied, holding Mushu close. “Probably just a relaxed night in front of the TV.”

“Really?” Something in Sam’s tone made Castiel look back at the younger man, only to find him grinning at him. “No date with my brother?”

Narrowing his eyes, Castiel opted not to reply. That only made Sam laugh out loud while they made their way over to the parking lot.

“Oh, come on Cas,” he chuckled. And that was also new: Castiel had never liked any kind of nicknames – until Dean had started calling him “Cas”. For some reason, he was okay with it (at least it wasn’t “Cassie”) and soon, everybody had started calling him that. By now, it held familiar warmth. As stupid as it might sound, only his friends were allowed to call him that, so for him, it was a sign of trust and friendship.

Although right now, he wasn’t so sure if he wouldn’t prefer to strangle his friend.

“How much longer are you two going to play this game?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cas replied, opening the passenger door of his car and carefully putting Mushu in his carrier. It had been a bit over three months since the attack and he was eternally grateful that Mushu had nothing more than a scar under his fur to remind him of it. Thanks to Dean’s persistence, Cas had pressed charges after all and due to enough evidence, his neighbor had no other choice but to pay all the bills for treatments and medication. Needless to say, said lady and he were no longer on speaking terms. Not that he cared much about her.

“Cas, man, come on,” Sam continued to pester him, prompting Cas to heave a sigh. It wasn’t the first time and it most likely wouldn’t be the last. Cas really didn’t want to talk about it. Had he realized that Dean wasn’t as straight as he’d initially thought? Of course. Had he admitted to himself that he thought the cop hot? Well, obviously. No human being with eyes could deny that. Did he enjoy the man’s company, his charm and wit, his smile and addicting laughter? Hell yes to all of these. But Cas had just ended a long-term relationship that had left him somewhat shaken and he simply wasn’t ready to start dating again. The fact that Dean hadn’t made a move on him either showed that he wanted to give him space or that he had no interest in him, bi or not.

Recently, Cas had found himself more and more wishing it was the first of these two options.

“Sam, will you please drop it?” he asked his friend, the tired note in his voice only barely hidden. “Your brother is a great friend, but we’re not dating. No matter what you think.”

Heaving a deep sigh himself, Sam let go of the topic. “Alright, whatever you say. Have a good evening then. See you tomorrow.”

“You too. Tell Eileen hi from me.”

“Will do.”

They left the parking lot in opposite directions and all Castiel could do was to force any thoughts about Sam’s implications out of his head.

When he got home, he went about his normal evening routine, starting with switching on the TV for some background noise. His eyes fell on the half-finished jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table and he couldn’t hold back the smile that spread over his face. Dean had seen it lying on Cas’ bookshelf a few nights ago and without asking, he’d got it down and they’d started working on it while first some action movie was playing on TV and then a documentary. They were planning on finishing it this weekend.

His dinner was a quick and simple pasta dish. Getting a beer, Cas was on his way back to the couch, when a knock came from the front door. Stopping in his tracks, Cas looked at the door in confusion. Pulling his cellphone out, he checked the time. It was shortly after nine. Who on earth would knock this late? Dean was on duty until ten, so it couldn’t be him. Maybe a neighbor that needed help?

Putting his beer down on a side table, he made his way over to the door while he checked that Mushu wasn’t close. His cat was still allowed outside, but he rather not have him wandering around in the darkness. No red furball in sight, Cas opened the door.

And almost instantly tried to shut it again, only to be met with a foot between door and frame.

“Now, Cassie, that’s not nice. Is this any way to greet your boyfriend?”

“Ex-boyfriend,” Castiel gritted out, still holding onto the door. “What do you want, Luc?”

A smile spread across the face he’d once thought handsome. He’d also once thought this was a soft and loving smile. He’d come to realize it was more of a sneer.

“Cassie, Sweetheart. You know what I want. We never got to talk.”

As Luc leaned in just a bit, Castiel was hit with the stench of stale alcohol. He had never seen Luc drunk before in his life and it scared him even more.

“There’s nothing to talk about. You cheated, I walked away. End of story.”

He quickly realized that drunken Luc was even scarier than simply pissed off Luc. The man’s face went not only an angry shade of red, but his expression turned to ice.

“No, Cassie. There will be no end to this story! You belong to me. I want you back.”

“You should have thought of that before taking another man home. And God knows if it was the first.”

“Don’t say that!” Luc suddenly yelled, startling Castiel. He made the mistake of loosening his grip on the door. Instantly, Luc was able to push it open and almost fall inside. He was still yelling as he slammed the door shut behind him. “Don’t you ever doubt me again! You’re mine, nothing can change that.”

“Luc, you’re scaring me,” Castiel replied, shaken to the core. Maybe being honest and pleading with this man was the best way to deal with him. And at first, it seemed like he did get through to him. The anger seemed to leave the man and he suddenly reached for Castiel, catching his face in both of his hands. While the grip was tight and held him in place in his shell-shocked state, it was also somehow gentle.

“No, no nonono, don’t say that,” Luc whispered, soothingly, pleadingly. “Don’t be scared. How can you be scared of me, Cassie Sweetheart.”

The voice sent an ice cold shiver down Castiel’s spine. It was too sweet, too crazed. It sounded like the voice of any psycho killer of any stupid crime show Dean had made him watch these past three months.

_Dean._

Oh God, he needed to call him. He needed to get away from Luc somehow and for long enough so he could call Dean.

“O-okay,” he stammered out. “I believe you. I’m … I’m not scared.” He forced himself to stay calm, his voice not to shake. Dean’s obsession with crime shows seemed to have one good side effect after all: Cas knew how to deal with psychopath – at least in theory. “Of course I’m not scared. You would never hurt me.”

“No, no of course not. You’re mine. Why would I hurt what’s mine? What has always been mine and what will always be mine.”

He was going to be sick. How was this happening? How had he never realized the sick person Luc really was?

“O-okay. Good. Then … then let’s talk.”

“No, later,” Luc pressed out abruptly and surged forward before the words were fully out of his mouth. Castiel could feel the bile rise in his stomach the moment those lips touched his. He scrambled to get out of Luc’s hold, only to lose his balance and tumble backwards. Luc was on him in a heartbeat. The blow was so unexpected Castiel really lost his footing this time. A moment later, he found himself on the floor, holding his nose and feeling a warm and thick fluid slowly trickle out.

“Why did you do that, you fucking idiot?”

Luc’s screaming was ringing in his ears and all he could think was _Dean, Dean, Dean_. He needed to call him. He needed to reach him somehow. He needed to get away from Luc or only God knew what the man would do to him.

“Oh, no, Sweetheart,” the sickly sweet voice was back, Luc crouching over him, holding his face in tender hands. “You’re bleeding. Why did you do this? Why did you make me so angry? This is all your fault!”

Cas could tell Luc was already talking himself into another crazy fit of anger. While he spoke, he slammed his head against the floor so hard Castiel saw stars. Also, the constant see-sawing of Luc’s behavior from cold anger to sickly sweet concern was giving him whiplash. He felt paralyzed by it, too scared of what was to come next to do anything. How was this happening to him? How was any of this real?

His hand was forced away from his nose and rough lips were on him, kissing the blood away before forcing his mouth open and letting him taste his own blood. He tried to turn his head, but a strong hand held his chin in place and his head down on the floor. Not able to do anything at all, Castiel just lay there.

Tears were streaming down his face, trickling in his hair. The TV was still running, the voices there but not distinguishable. Laughter rang through the room; it sounded forced, typical for trashy game shows.

It was all so surreal and Castiel felt frozen in time.

Luc’s erection pressed against his hip and finally, finally Castiel snapped out of it.

His eyes flew open and his knee came up reflexively, knocking Luc right into his guts. The man grunted and slightly sagged to his side, giving Castiel just enough space to stretch and reach for the closest thing. He didn’t think about what it was, simply smashed it over Luc’s head. The man grunted once more and sagged completely.

Not even taking his time to catch his breath, Cas freed himself of the man. He had just gotten enough space between them when Luc’s hand reached for his ankle with such a force it startled a cry out of him. He didn’t hesitate this time and kicked out. His foot connected with Luc’s skull and the grip around his ankle loosened enough for him to scramble off the floor and run.

When they watched movies, Dean and Cas would often comment about how stupid people were to run upstairs with a potential killer or rapist in their house, instead of outside where they would be able to scream for help. Castiel would never, ever rail about these people ever again. Because his only instinct in this moment was to get to the safety of his bathroom where he knew he had a key to lock the door.

He crawled over to the staircase opposite the front door, his first scrambling steps still on all four limbs. It took him the first few stairs to regain his balance to be able to run on just his feet. Reaching the upstairs landing, he heard a roar downstairs and didn’t need to look back to know that Luc was up and after him. His blood froze in his veins, but he still made it to the bathroom, slamming the door shut and turning the key. He didn’t hesitate, got the crappy old wooden chair and slammed it under the door knob to block it further. Thank God for his tendency to take his laptop to the bathroom to watch movies while in the bathtub.

Not a second later, something heavy smashed against the door, making the whole wall rattle. Already in tears, Castiel sank to the floor and huddled by the bathtub. Another smash shattered against the door and Luc’s angry yelling rang in his ears.

_Dean, Dean, Dean, please._

Cas’ eyes snapped open. Hastily, he reached for his back pocket and got his phone out. He was so shaken he dropped it once and then entered his code wrong twice, before finally being able to open the phone app and to push number two – his speed dial for Dean.

The seconds ticked by and the ringing in his ear from Luc’s screaming was drowned out by the phone’s ringing, waiting to be picked up.

“Cas, hey man, what’s up?”

“ _Dean_ ,” Cas choked out, almost sobbing and just so relieved to hear the man’s voice.

“Cas? What’s going on, you okay?”

“He’s here. Dean, I’m scared. Dean –”

“Cas, Cas slow down. What’s going on? What’s that noise?”

“Luc. He’s trying to get in.”

He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he heard a police siren go off before Dean’s voice was back.

“Cas, you’re on speaker. Where are you?”

“My bathroom. Dean, he’s in the house. Help me.”

“We’re on our way. Cas, hold tight. We’re in the neighborhood.”

“I’m so scared.”

The banging on the door suddenly stopped and Cas didn’t know if that was any better or if it just scared him even more.

“Cas, what’s happening? Did he stop?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, don’t move, you hear me? You stay where you are, we’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

“Don’t hang up,” he squeaked in a pathetically high voice, but he had no willpower to care anymore. “Dean, please stay with me.”

“Alright, just give me a second; we need to let dispatch know.”

Cas crouched in on himself. Never in his whole life had he thought he would one day be this scared. He was a grown ass man. He was almost six feet tall and worked out. He was no twink that could easily be broken in two. But by God, this man outside his bathroom left him paralyzed. Maybe it was the psychotic way he suddenly acted or maybe there was another reason, but Cas knew the man had an effect on him and that he wouldn’t be able to fight back. Just as before. Even if his mind would have wanted to, his body had simply shut down.

He could hear Dean make the call to dispatch and he let the man’s voice soothe his nerves. If he got out of this alive, he would finally tell him what he was feeling, consequences be damned.

“Cas, you still with me?”

“Always,” he mumbled out. Dean’s voice sounded closer again as if he had shut off the speaker and was talking to him directly again.

“You still hear him?”

Straining his ears, he listened closely but heard nothing except for the siren through the phone. “No.”

“Stay in the bathroom, just to be safe. You hear me?”

“Yes.”

They didn’t talk after that, just stayed on the phone to stay connected. Cas could hear Dean talking to Benny, informing him of the whole situation. They stayed like that until the siren on the phone grew louder and Cas finally realized that they were outside his house.

“Cas, we’re almost there. I’m hanging up now. Stay where you are. I’ll come and get you once I know the house is safe.”

“Okay.”

The sudden beeping signal buzzed in his head until he brought his phone down. Checking the clock on his phone, he couldn’t believe it only read 9.28 pm. This whole ordeal, even though it had felt like hours, had happened in mere minutes. But it wasn’t over yet.

He held his phone in his hands, praying for Dean (and Benny) to be safe. Who knew what Luc had come up with since he’d stopped smashing against his bathroom door.

A loud bang from downstairs let him know that Dean and Benny must be inside his house. He listened but could hear nothing for a few more seconds. Then there were loud footsteps on the stairs. Dean’s voice was heard and then Luc shouting, but nothing made sense in Cas’ head.

More yelling.

A bang.

A shot.

And then nothing but silence.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Dean didn’t hesitate as he kicked in the front door to Cas’ house. All he wanted to do was to run upstairs and get to Cas, but thankfully his instincts as a cop presided. Benny had made sure to remind him to keep a cool head. His friend knew what Cas meant to him. Had seen him suffer over the past few months by forcing himself not to make a single move that was not that of a good friend; to give Castiel space after what had happened. Benny wasn’t the only one who called him foolish for that. But now was not the time to think about these things.

Shards of one of the vases that decorated Cas’ entrance lay scattered on the floor, the rug was in disarray. There was blood on the floor and Dean’s own blood ran cold. What had that psycho done to his Cas?

Both men knew the layout of Cas’ house well enough, Benny and some other friends often joining in for game nights. He wanted with every fiber of his being to go upstairs, to seek Cas who he knew was in the bathroom. But that wasn’t what his training dictated. So instead, he and Benny quickly scanned and cleared the downstairs level before finally heading upstairs. Dean had just set a foot on the first stair when he heard moaning coming from what he was pretty sure was Cas’ bedroom. Not even his ingrained training and instincts could hold him anymore, his mind racing. Had Cas left the bathroom? Had Luc been able to break open the door and track him to the bedroom?

He knew Benny was right behind him, not trying to hold him back. As he got to the bedroom door, he couldn’t believe the scene that was unfolding in front of him.

The whole floor was scattered with Castiel’s clothes, every closet door and drawer ripped open. Luc was sitting on the bed, some clothing Dean couldn’t identify right away in his hand, his other hand in his pants. Dean was so disgusted he might just throw up. Instead, his training and years of experience kicked back in.

“Police, get your hands in the air where I can see them.”

Luc froze for just a moment – until he recognized the officer in front of him. “You?! You stole him. This is your fault!”

“Luc, hands in the air. Now!”

Instead of listening, Luc dropped the clothes – were those boxer shorts? – jumped up and reached for something on Cas’ nightstand. It was his alarm.

“Put that down,” Benny instructed from behind Dean, also training his weapon on the man.

“You stole him. He is mine. Mine!” With his last word, Luc flung the alarm in their direction and Dean heard it burst against the wall right next to him. On his other side, a shot was fired and the man in front of him sagged to the floor. They were both on him before he could even move, a pathetic whimper leaving the man’s mouth.

“I’ve got him.”

Dean heard his partner, but he hesitated to leave him alone.

Securing Luc’s wrists behind his back with the handcuffs, Benny looked up. “Dean, you hear me? I’ve got him. Go get Cas.”

That was enough to jolt Dean back into action.

As he moved out of the bedroom, he heard footsteps on the stairs, but before he could even think of pulling his weapon again, Jo’s blonde head was to be seen. The paramedics were here. He nodded towards the bedroom and crossed the wide hallway over to the bathroom.

Knocking softly, Dean called out for his friend.

“Cas? You hear me? It’s Dean, let me in?”

There was nothing, so he tried the doorknob. It was still locked.

“Cas, buddy? Come on. It’s okay, we’ve got him. It’s really me, Dean. Open the door for me, please.”

He held his breath until at last he heard movement, then something being pushed aside and finally the lock being turned. The door flew open and after just one moment of hesitation – maybe to make sure it was really him – Cas flung himself into Dean’s arms, clinging to him and sobbing into his shoulder. Dean held on tight, not ever going to let go of this man ever again.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Cas was in some kind of catatonic state. Or maybe it was just shock, he didn’t know. He was sitting in the back of an ambulance, a blanket over his shoulders to keep him warm. He’d always thought things like this were cliché and only happened in TV shows. Then again, he’d also thought the only place he would ever see a psychopath was on screen. Dean was a few feet over, talking to another cop Cas didn’t know, probably informing him what had happened. Cas wasn’t able to listen.

Jo had taken care of his nose. It wasn’t broken, only bruised. The bleeding had stopped but he still wasn’t able to get rid of the taste of blood in his mouth. Technically the taste should be long gone, at least after Jo had given him water to rinse and drink some. Most likely, it was all in his head. Cas wondered how long it would be before the taste was gone and didn’t make him want to throw up any longer.

He only had a vague idea of what had happened after Dean and Benny had gotten inside his house. Dean refused to let him enter his bedroom, only telling him that they’d taken care of Luc. The man had a bullet in his thigh, courtesy of Benny. What he had done in the room, Cas had no clue and maybe it was for the best.

Someone knelt down in front of him, both hands on his knees. Warm, green eyes full of concern looked up at him.

“How do you feel?”

“Tired,” he answered honestly.

Dean nodded and got up to sit next to him. Instantly, Cas leaned into him, not even caring how it would look. A warm arm curled around his shoulder, pulling him closer and Dean’s head rested on his.

“I already put Mushu in his carrier and in your car. Once Jo gives her okay, I’ll take you home with me. You’ll sleep at my place tonight.”

Not enough energy left to nod Cas only leaned closer into Dean. He felt the arm tightening around him and wanted to sob with relief. He was in Dean’s arms, he was safe.

They sat like this in the back of the ambulance until Jo came over to give Cas one last check. Telling Dean what to look for and to give him some mild painkillers before he went to bed, Jo gave them the okay to go.

Cas had no memories of getting in the car or of Dean driving them over to his house. He wanted to drop into the bed right away, but he felt so dirty after everything that had happened. Dean didn’t even have to ask. He steered him upstairs and towards the bathroom right away and put out a fluffy bath towel for him, as well as a toothbrush.

“Wait a second, I’ll get you some clothes.”

Only then did Cas remember that he had brought nothing with him. He didn’t care. He simply had no energy left to care anymore.

Once Dean had put a shirt, a pair of boxer shorts, and sweatpants on the counter, he left him alone but promised to wait right outside in case he needed him. Cas only nodded.

The warm water was soothing, but it didn’t help him relax like he thought it would. When he felt somewhat clean again, he got out and slowly, mechanically dried himself. God, he was so tired and his head hurt so much. Brushing his teeth was only partly satisfying. Not even the mouthwash helped him lose the stale taste of blood. What had Luc done to him?

Tears threatened to form again, so Cas hurried to get dressed. Wearing Dean’s clothing had an almost magically soothing effect and Cas was able to leave the bathroom without starting to cry again. Dean was sitting on the floor, leaning against the opposite wall, typing on his phone with one hand and caressing Mushu with his other. He looked up when the door opened, sending Cas a tentative smile.

“How do you feel?”

Cas shrugged. “Better, I guess.”

Putting his phone away, Dean got up and motioned for Cas to follow him to his own bedroom. A glass of water and some painkillers stood on the bedside table. Cas looked at him, confused.

“I hope you’re alright with sharing. I don’t want you to be alone tonight and my bed is big enough for both of us to be comfortable. Is that okay?”

Cas only nodded. He trusted Dean with his life, so obviously he had no problem sharing a king sized bed that was big enough that even two more men could comfortably sleep next to them.

“Good. Give me a few minutes. I’ll take a quick shower as well.”

Cas nodded again, slowly moving towards the bed and sitting down.

Dean must have showered in record time because Cas felt like he had just sat down when the man was back, hair still slightly damp, same shirt and sweatpants combo as Cas was wearing.

“You really should take those pain killers.”

Oh, he hadn’t even done that? He must have spaced out while Dean was away.

His friend sat down next to him, got two of the pills out and handed them to him together with the water. Cas did as he was told and took them, draining the water in a few long gulps. After Dean had put the glass away, he pulled Cas close to him. For a long while, they just shared being close to each other. Only once did Dean ask him if he wanted to talk about it, but he didn’t push when Cas shook his head no. Eventually, Dean got up and out of his sweatpants, before walking around the bed and getting under the blankets, giving Cas his space. Cas followed his lead and soon the light was switched off.

They lay in silence for what felt like hours.

“I was so scared.”

A whisper of hair against a pillow told him that Dean had moved his head to look at him.

“All I could think of was that I had to call you. That you would come and save me.” His voice broke on the last part and he felt tears prickle in his eyes. Instantly, a warm body pressed next to him, arms holding him tight. Lips brushed against his hair and he knew he wasn’t imagining the kiss placed there. He clung to Dean once more, telling him all that had happened. The arms tightened around him more closely and once he was done, his body started to relax. He knew he wasn’t over this, not at all. But the psycho that was his ex wasn’t going to bother him anymore; they would make sure of that. And he was here, lying in Dean’s arms. In his bed, safe from all the bad in the world.

He let out a deep sigh and finally let himself fall asleep.

 

~*~

 

When Cas woke the next morning, it was to soft purrs from Mushu and Dean’s rough voice speaking quietly.

“No, he’s doing okay now, I think. He’s still asleep.”

…

“Yeah, I’ll let him know.”

…

“No, I think he’ll be fine. I’ll tell him to call you should he need more days off.”

…

“Okay, I’ll tell him. You take care of yourself. Bye, Sam.”

Cas heard the dull thud of a phone landing on wood and then the bed moved as Dean got up. There was a slight pause in his movements and all Cas could guess was that Dean was looking at him, checking if he was okay. Then Dean left and a few seconds later Cas could hear the bathroom door.

He must have dozed off again because just a few seconds later, the bed was slightly moving yet again as Dean crawled back in. He kept his eyes closed, still too tired to deal with the world of the living.

A finger brushed against his forehead, pushing his hair away where it had irritated his eyes. The finger slowly stroked down the side of his cheek, down to his chin and then back to his lips. Cas let out a surprised huff at that, parting his lips in the process. The finger stopped in its motion. Three heartbeats passed, before it continued tracing his face, hesitant at first, but soft and full of caress. Soon, it was back on his chin and this time it didn’t stop there. It wandered down his neck, following the route of his pulse. Only now did Cas become aware of how rapidly his heart and therefore his pulse were beating. He couldn’t control it. One finger became four fingers as they reached his collarbone. The purr on his chest grew louder and all of a sudden, the fingers were gone and instead a claw hit him full force.

“Ouch,” Cas made, finally opening his eyes. Mushu was looking back at him, his paw still sprawled along his collarbone, defending his territory. “Really, furball? After all this time you turn out to be the biggest cockblock?”

The chuckle next to him was low and so damn sexy, Cas just wanted the little menace on his chest to be gone so he was free to do all the things to the man next to him he had fantasized about for the past weeks.

“Don’t be mad at him. He was here the whole night, making sure you were okay.”

Turning his head just slightly, Cas was met with his favorite pair of green eyes and a soft smile that sent warmth tingling all through him. Dean was casually lying next to him, partly propped up on one hand, looking down at him with such a tender gaze Cas almost moved in to close the gap. But by now he had waited long enough for this moment that a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. After endless moments of staring into each other’s eyes, Cas curled his arm around Mushu.

“Give me two minutes,” he whispered and slipped out of bed. He heard a little thud and when he turned back around, Dean was lying on his back, his eyes following him. Grinning, Cas quickly made his way down the hallway. He cuddled Mushu close once more, gave him a kiss on his furry head, and thanked him for everything, before sitting him down on the top stair of the staircase. Without any further fuss, the tabby made its way down, probably to test the comfort of Dean’s couch.

Cas rushed through a short version of his morning routine and within minutes, he was back in Dean’s bedroom, closing the door just in case Mushu decided the bed was more comfortable than the couch and wanted back in. He loved his little furball, but this was not a moment he wanted to share with him.

Still lying in bed, his hands behind his head, Dean’s eyes were already back on him, the soft smile still playing around his lips. Cas wanted nothing more but to kiss that smile and feel those soft looking lips. And because he had a strong feeling that Dean would not be opposed, he did just that.

A few long strides brought him back to the bed and without hesitation, he climbed on it, straddling Dean, and leaned forward. He was pretty sure Dean had anticipated his move because hands were on his hips right away, and Dean’s head surged forward, meeting him in the middle. His lips were just as soft as Cas had always imagined and he couldn’t keep himself from nibbling on them, drawing a soft moan from the man under him. Dean’s hands wandered from his hips up his back and into his hair, pulling him in closer. Cas opened up for him and Dean’s tongue found its way into his mouth.

With a slight roll of his hips, Dean unbalanced him and Cas landed on the soft and still rumpled pillow, Dean above him. Their kissing stopped just long enough for Dean to ask if this was okay. Cas knew what he was really asking – if this reminded him too much of last night. But how could it? This was Dean and he trusted no one more than him. In lieu of an answer, he pulled the man back down, savoring each moan he could draw out of this beautiful human being.

Lips and hands soon wandered over every body part that could be reached. Their t-shirts landed on the floor, just as the bedding did, kicked away while they were rolling around, every now and then switching who was on top and pinning the other one down.

This had been a long time coming and they both knew it. There were no silly questions like, “are you sure?” or, “do you really want this?” or even, “is this too fast?” They knew each other well enough to know they would stop the other if that was the case. With no rush and no care in the world, they dragged it out for hours. There was way too much skin to be touched and noises to be learned and little nothings to be whispered to even think about rushing this.

Castiel was lazily kissing down Dean’s body. He couldn’t believe how responsive the man was. Every kiss or nip or lick got a reaction, either a moan, or a twitch of his body, a hiss, or his hand tightening in Cas’ hair. He sucked at his nipple and Dean nearly lost it, groaning so loudly Cas was glad this wasn’t an apartment but a house with solid walls. He promised himself to come back to this later on. For now, he was on a mission. Down over the smooth and soft stomach – he would have sworn Dean would be a six pack kind of guy, but by God, this was so much better. Further down until he reached the waistband of Dean’s boxer shorts. He nibbled at the still clothed member, chuckling when Dean almost choked on his own breath.

“Don’t stop,” came the rough plea from above him, and how could he refuse such a request. He mouthed the shorts until he couldn’t bear his own teasing any longer and pulled the offending piece of clothing out of his way. Moaning with pleasure, he got his first taste of Dean, swallowing him all the way down. The fingers in his hair clenched so hard it was almost painful and that was a pleasure in itself. He let his head slowly bob up and down a few times, savoring the bitter taste of precum and the musky smell of Dean.

“Caaas.”

The breathy moan made him smile and soon he let go of Dean’s gorgeous thick cock and made his way back up. He paid some extra attention to Dean’s soft tummy, already vowing to use it as a pillow soon. Of course, the nipples required some tender love for quite a while, before finally, his lips met Dean’s again. The kiss started out lazily until Dean wound his arm around Cas’ middle and pulled him down. Cas’ own boxer shorts were the last piece of clothing that separated the warm skin of their erections and Dean seemed not to be able to stand it any longer. One hand still in Cas’ hair to hold him down and close enough to kiss, Dean’s other hand wandered from the small of Cas’ back into his boxer shorts, cupping one cheek and squeezing. Cas had to break the kiss to huff out a moan before claiming Dean’s mouth once more. The hand on his backside moved and once Cas realized that Dean was trying to pull the last barrier between them down, he wiggled a bit until he could lift his hip just high enough so Dean could accomplish his task.

They both groaned out in pleasure when their cocks finally rubbed against each other without any more offending clothing in the way.

Dean rolled them over and sat up so he could fully free them of the underwear. Before he lay back down, he let his eyes wander all over Castiel’s body with so much desire in his eyes, Cas moaned out just from seeing the want in the man’s eyes. He closed his eyes and waited. Seconds later, he first felt hands sliding up his legs and then finally a hot and oh so perfect mouth around his own length. Only when two strong hands pressed his hips down and a chuckle reached his ear, did he realize he had been thrusting into the inviting mouth. Well, who could hold it against him?

Soon, those perfect lips wandered up his body and Cas sighed with content. Neither of them had come yet and they had already been at this for hours. And only now were they finally fully naked. Grinning wildly, Cas knew he could get used to times like these.

Dean’s lips found his again and he pulled the man close. This was about so much more than just getting off and fulfilling carnal needs. They both knew it and they both reveled in it.

But that didn’t mean they didn’t want to get off either.

After a few more minutes of lazily rutting against each other and building up slowly, Dean took them both in his hand and jacked them off, hard and fast. It only took a few strokes for both of them before reaching their breaking point. Their kissing had long since turned into huffing and breathing the same air and when they came, wet and warm between their bodies, there was no loud shouting, just more heavy breathing and kissing.

After Dean had made a quick trip to the bathroom to get them a warm washcloth, they cuddled close in bed, still not ready to let go of each other or to stop mapping out the other’s body.

Somewhere in between all the cuddling, Dean whispered, “I love you,” into Cas’ ear and Cas whispered back, “I know.” They both knew Dean was only grumbling because Cas had Han Soloed him and not the other way around. Cas laughed and pulled the man closer again, kissing him right under the ear, before whispering, “I love you, too”.

It was already early afternoon when they made it out of bed. But only because Dean’s stomach was rumbling so loudly that Cas couldn’t stop laughing.

 

~*~

 

A week after the incident, Castiel was finally brave enough to go back to his house. Dean had taken it upon himself to clean up the entrance hall and the bedroom, but the whole house still left Cas feeling squirmy. Over the next few weeks, he spent more and more time at Dean’s house. They practically lived together, only they didn’t call it that. It gave their friends new ammunition for ribbing them good-naturedly.

 

*

 

Luc was sentenced to community work and he had to pay restitution for what he had done to Cas. But the most important part was that Castiel got a restraining order against his ex.

 

*

 

Mushu was healthy as ever. A few months after Cas had “not officially” moved in with Dean, the officer forgot to close the door immediately after bringing the shopping bags inside. The cat was gone for an entire week, the longest he had ever been gone. Castiel was crazy with worry, even going so far as to telling Dean it was all his fault. It was one of the only nights Cas went back to his old house to sleep in the guest room.

The very next day, Sam called. A bubbly red-head had brought Mushu into the office. She’d found him in her garage where her own cat Princess Leia liked to be while in heat. That’s how Dean and Cas met Charlie. That’s also how they became “grandparents” of six little red and white speckled kittens. Cas’ way of apologizing to Dean for saying it was all his fault was to let him name all the tiny fluffballs. He now knew not to let Dean name any kids they might ever have.

 

*

 

Close to a year after Cas had “not officially” moved in with Dean, they finally made it official. They started with sorting through both their belongings, throwing out what wasn’t needed anymore and putting what they wanted to keep but weren’t able to fit into the house in storage. Then they emptied out Cas’ house and put it on the market. Thanks to some great connections through Charlie, they got more out of it than they had thought. Part of the money went into different stocks, but most of it was used to renovate and remodel Dean’s house so that it really became their home. There were even three spare rooms and while for now they were an office for each of them and a hobby room, they both knew what these rooms would eventually be used for.

 

*

 

The jigsaw puzzle Dean and Cas had started working on was hung up in their living room and over the years, they gathered a little collection, hung up all over their home. It became one of their favorite hobbies to do together on quiet evenings.

 

*

 

If bad things really came in threes, then Cas would gladly go back to that one day and go through three times three bad things, if only it meant having this one good man in his life. One good man who made Cas’ life full of good things. All thanks to Dean being in the right place at the right time on the shittiest day of Castiel’s life and saving him three times in a row. Maybe bad things did come in threes – but there was no number to the good in one’s life when they had the right partner at their side.

 

**~ The End ~**

**Author's Note:**

> My friend [Bekki](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sam661187) pointed out that Mushu should get neutered... ehm ... yeah ... let's just pretend that Sam bothered Cas about it the whole time and then when Mushu becomes a papa, Sam sits within all the little fluffballs and plays with them, but looks at Cas in a smug way anyway and says something like "told you so" ... and then they get poor Mushu neutered ... yeah, I might add that some day ;)
> 
> As always: much love to my wonderful beta ([Feathers7501](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Feathers7501/)) <3 <3
> 
> Love you all :D next fic will be up next Friday


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